KENNESAW STATE BASEBALL
Fri., Feb. 20	at Jacksonville State	Rudy Abbott Field, Jacksonville Ala.	4 p.m. ET	Live Stats
Sat., Feb. 21	at Jacksonville State	Rudy Abbott Field, Jacksonville, Ala.	1 p.m. ET	Live Stats
Sun., Feb. 22	at Jacksonville State	Rudy Abbott Field, Jacksonville, Ala.	1 p.m. ET	Live Stats

Batting Practice
• The Kennesaw State University baseball program are in the midst of its 32^nd season of varsity play in 2015. The Owls have played four games thus far, entering the weekend with a 3-1 record.
• The Owls are in the midst of its 10th season in the Atlantic Sun Conference, joining the Division I ranks in 2006. Kennesaw State entered the season with an all-time record of 1,114-651-2 (.631) in 31 seasons.
• The Black and Gold entered the season with an all-time record of 265-231 (.534) in the A-Sun since joining the league in 2006.
• KSU won the school's first-ever Division I Championship in 2014, defeating Lipscomb in the title game by a score of 7-1 to capture its first-ever banner in the D-I ranks.
* The Owls went on to make history, becoming the second-ever Atlantic Sun team to reach the NCAA Super Regionals after defeating Alabama and Georgia Southern  in the Tallahassee Regional in 2014.
* Head coach Mike Sansing began his 24th season at the helm of the Black and Gold, entering the season with a career mark of 885-464 (.656) as the manager of the Owls.
* Sansing's three assistant coaches return for another season with the Owls in 2015. Kevin Erminio enters his ninth season as the assistant head coach and pitching coach, while Derek Simmons and Trey Fowler each return for their third season under Sansing. Assistant athletic trainer Chris Archambeault also returns to the Black and Gold's bench for his eighth season.
* The Black and Gold feature two captains for the 2015 season. Redshirt-senior Chris McGowan and junior LHP Travis Bergen will lead the Owls selected by the team to serve as captains.
 
Coach Sansing 10 Away From Career Milestone
* Head coach Mike Sansing entered the season 897 career wins, sitting 13 victories shy of 1,000 career wins.
• Sansing's coaching career began at Shorter from 1989-91, accumulating 102 wins in three seasons. His career record at Shorter finished at 102-55 (.650).
• Coach Sansing's clubhouse leadership carried over to Kennesaw State in 1992 and entered his 24th season in 2015 with the Owls.
• With the Owls' three wins throughout the early parts of the 2015 season, the manager now sits only 10 shy of the career milestone.
* Coach Sansing's strong leadership in the clubhouse has not gone unnoticed, leading multiple players to Atlantic Sun Conference honors and beyond. Most recently, coach Sansing led Max Pentecost to the Johnny Bench Award and a First Team All-American selection in 2014.
 
Leading Off
• The Owls will continue their busy week on the road this weekend, traveling to Jacksonville, Alabama for a three-game series against the Gamecocks. Kennesaw State will wrap up its week after taking on non-conference foe Mercer last Wednesday.
 • KSU will play in its first road weekend series of the 2015 season. Kennesaw State finished the 2014 season with a 23-15 record against non-conference opponents.
• The Owls went 2-2 last season against the Gamecocks, with all three games played at Rudy Abbott Field.
• KSU will enter the weekend atop of the Atlantic Sun with 29 RBI and six total home runs, with the next closest team totaling four homers (North Florida).
• Coming into the season one of the strengths of the Owls' team was expected to ne the bullpen. That group has not disappointed as the squad's four starters this season (Hillyer, Bergen, Friese and Moore) have all had strong outings.
 
Around The Bases
* The Owls, who posted a respectable 5-4 record on the road against non-conference opponents in 2014, defeated in-state rival Mercer Bears this past Wednesday, 8-2. The win marked the Owls' first road win of the season.
*  KSU entered the contest on Saturday leading the Atlantic Sun with four home runs and continued to show its power in the lineup. Alex Liquori and Colin Bennett each hit a home run against Mercer to give the Owls six long balls on the season. North Florida is second in the Atlantic Sun with four homers on the young season.
• Kennesaw State is tied for 16th in the country in home runs per game at 1.33. The leader, East Tennessee State, is averaging 2.50 homers per game.
• KSU is averaging 7.75 runs per game through four games, posting runs of 11, 2, 10 and eight respectively throughout the first week and a half of the season. The Owls have outscored their opponents by a 31-22 margin, and are second in the A-Sun with 31 total runs.
* The Owls are also second in the Atlantic Sun with 41 total hits through four games. KSU is averaging 10.24 hits per game. KSU has totaled 10+ more hits in half of its games for the season.
* Kennesaw State plated the first runs for the third time out of four games this season, improving to a perfect 3-0 when scoring the game's first runs.
• KSU's bullpen has been strong to open the season, as the Owls are a perfect 3-0 when leading after the 7th and 8th innings. Kennesaw State's pitching staff has accumulated a 2.75 ERA (3-1), allowing 11 earned runs on 29 hits.
* KSU out-hit Mercer on Wednesday, marking the fourth straight time the Owls have out-hit their opponents this season. Kennesaw State moved to 3-1 on the season when out-hitting its opponents. In fact, the Owls are averaging over 10 hits per game in 2015.
* Through the first four games of the season, KSU is batting .295 as a team with an impressive 17 extra base hits –which is tied for most in the A-Sun.
 • The Owls are plating runs early and often throughout the first four games, outscoring their opponents by a dominating 17-4 edge through the first three innings. Kennesaw State are a perfect 3-0 when scoring the game's first run.
* The Owls totaled 29 RBI over the first four games as 10 different players recorded at least one RBI over opening weekend.  Kal Simmons, Colin Bennett, Griffin Helms and Corey Greeson each lead the offensive attack with four RBI.
* The Owls have moved up to the No. 25 ranking in the Baseball Writer's poll, which was announced on Feb. 16. Kennesaw State also stayed true to its 25^th ranking to the Baseball America poll.
 
Scouting the Gamecocks
*  The Owls will travel to Jacksonville, Alabama for a three-game set over the weekend against Jacksonville State University.
* The two teams split four games in 2015, with the Owls taking the first and last games of the regular season series.
• Kennesaw State will enter the weekend ranked No. 19 in the Baseball America poll while moving up to 25th in the Baseball Writer's poll.
 • Paschal Petrongolo leads the Gamecocks' offense, compiling a .600 batting average with a team-high six hits (alongside Gavin Golsan) and four RBI. He also leads the team with a 1.100 slugging percentage and has totaled five walked for a .733 on-base percentage.
• Tyler Gamble leads the team with six RBI, going an impressive 4-for-8 (.500) for Jacksonville State. He also has accumulated five walks and one sacrifice fly.
• Tony Urban and Zach Fowler each lead the Gamecocks with 5+ innings of work on the mound for Jacksonville State, with each earning the decision to move to 1-0 on the year. Graham Officer is next with 4.0 innings of work on the bump. Urban also leads the team with five strikeouts on the season, while allowing only five hits.
 • Head coach Jim Case, who is entered his 12th season at the helm of the program, has accumulated a 421-351 record before the start of the 2015 season.
 
 "The Kal Show" Simmons
* Kal Simmons, who hails from Nashville, Georgia, returned to the lineup for Kennesaw State following an impressive sophomore season in 2014.
* Simmons, who earned Second Team All-Conference honors last season, started 62 games for the Owls at shortstop. He batted .272 while collecting 73 hits and 26 RBI on the season.
* Simmons picked up right where he left off last season, going 5-for-12 (.417) and two extra base hits for a .750 slugging percentage over the opening weekend.
* Simmons' home run against Liberty on opening day already matched his total long balls in 2014. His three-run homer in the second inning helped extend the Owls' lead in which they never surrendered.
* So far in four games, Simmons has totaled a .353 batting average, six hits, three extra base hits and four RBI. 
• Simmons has recorded at least one hit in each of the first four games for the Owls, marking the only player to do so for KSU.

Give Me Some MOORE
* Freshman AJ Moore made his collegiate debut on the mound in relief work against St. John's on Feb. 14, 2015.
* Moore retired his first eight batters he faced before allowing a single up the middle to break the streak.
* Moore struck out his first six batters he faced in his collegiate debut.
* For the day, Moore allowed two hits, one earned run on a game-high five strikeouts in 3.0 innings of work on the mound.
• Moore followed with his first collegiate start on the mound against Mercer on Feb. 18, 2015. Moore retired 12 of his first 13 batters he faced, including nine strikeouts on the day to earn the win.
• Moore leads the team and Atlantic Sun with 14 total strikeouts in 7.1 innings of work on the mound. He is averaging 17.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
 
Makin' Gaines
* Griffin "Gaines" Helms also made his collegiate debut over the weekend for the Owls, starting in left field in game two on the twinbill against St. John's.
* Helms finished the game 1-for3 (.333) with a two-run homer to deep left field, marking his first collegiate hit.
• Helms continued his strong start against Mercer on Wednesday (Feb. 18), going 2-for-5 (.400) with two RBI in his start in left field.
* For the season, the freshman left fielder has compiled a .375 batting average with one homer and four RBI in two starts.
 
Mr. "Freeze"
* Sophomore pitcher Gabe Friese made his season debut on the mound in game three over the weekend.
* The sophomore from Effingham, Illinois tossed 5.0 scoreless innings to earn his first victory of the season.
* Friese struck out two batters and allowed only two hits in Saturday's performance, helping the Owls defeat the Red Storm by a 10-5 score to earn a doubleheader split.
 
Bennett's Offensive Impact
 * Senior Colin Bennett has made a difference in the Owls' lineup throughout the first four games of the 2015 season.
• Bennett leads the team with a .667 batting average, totaling six hits in nine at bats for KSU. The senior also has totaled two doubles and a team-high and league-high two home runs. His four RBI also is tied with three other Owls for the most on the team, helping KSU lead the A-Sun with 29 RBI. 
 
Belt Winners
• Kendall Hawkins, who is a junior pitcher from Cartersville, Georgia, came in for relief work against No. 25 Liberty and posted a line of no hits allowed and two strikeouts in 2.0 innings of work to earn the victory on Friday.
• Corey Greeson went on to earn the belt after KSU took game two on the twinbill against St. John's after posting four RBI in a 10-5 victory over the Red Storm. It marked Greeson's first start with the Owls. 
• AJ Moore was passed the belt after earning the win on the mound after striking out nine batters in 4.1 innings of work on the mound. Moore retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced, and did not allow a hit until the top of the fifth inning.
 
New Owls On Board
* Kennesaw State baseball will once again have a new look in 2015, as 11 of the 33 players (33%) on the roster are newcomers. The Owls lost key players at the top of their lineup and in the backend of the bullpen from 2014, and coach Sansing will look to his returning upperclassmen for leadership.
* Seven new arms will look to help the Owls return to postseason form that posted a 3.47 ERA as a staff in 2014, logging 587.0 innings on the bump and 469 strikeouts. Key losses from 2014 are Justin McCalvin (Tampa Bay Rays, 19th-577) and James Connell  (Los Angeles Angels, 26th-779), as each combined for 12 wins and 18 saves on the season.
* The Black and Gold will also showcase four new position players, as coach Sansing will look to replace Max Pentecost (Toronto Blue Jay, 1st-11) and Bo Way (Los Angeles Angels, 7th-209) at the top of the lineup.
 
Notable Owl Accolades in 2014
* The Kennesaw State baseball team entered the 2015 season having won 26 of their last 29 games of the season. That trend continued over opening weekend, winning two of their first three games of the season – now having won 28 of their past 32 games dating back to 2014.
* The Black and Gold won a school record 40 wins in 2014 coming off their unprecedented postseason run to the NCAA Super Regionals.
* The Owls also played a D-I school record 64 games in 2014. KSU also posted a program's record of 16 consecutive games won from April 6-May 1 of 2014.
* KSU won the first-ever D-I Championship in school's history last season, defeating Lipscomb 7-1 in the Atlantic Sun Championship to secure the title.
* Kennesaw State also made history last season becoming the second team in A-Sun history to reach the NCAA Super Regionals after capturing the A-Sun Championship followed by the Tallahassee Regional with wins vs. Alabama and Georgia Southern. Entering the Super Regional vs. Louisville, KSU won 26 of their previous 28 games.
 
Owls In The MLB
* KSU totaled four players – Max Pentecost, Bo Way, Justin McCalvin and James Connell— that were selected in the 2014 MLB Draft.
* It marked the seventh consecutive year at least one Owl was selected in the MLB Draft, with three years (2009, 2013 and 2014) four Owls were selected.
* Max Pentecost, who was honored as First Team All-American and Johnny Bench Award winner in 2014, was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round (11th overall), which marks the highest selection in Owl history.
 
Owls Picked First In Atlantic Sun
* Kennesaw State was picked to finish first in the A-Sun in the preseason coaches' poll, voted by the league's eight head coaches. The Owls received 61 points and six of eight first-place votes.
* The preseason A-Sun coaches' selection, which projected the Owls to finish first in the league, was the first time the Black and Gold were selected to finish at the top of the league since joining the conference in 2006.
 
Preseason Polls
* Kennesaw State enters the 2015 season ranked No. 19 in the Baseball America poll (Jan. 26, 2015). It marks the first time in program history the Owls are ranked in preseason polls since becoming D-I in 2006 .
* The Owls will open the 2015 season ranked No. 27 in the preseason Collegiate Baseball Division I poll following an unprecedented run to the NCAA Super Regional a year ago.
* KSU also appeared in the Perfect Game Top-25 Preseason Poll, entering the season ranked No. 24. The Owls joined UC Santa Barbara (18) and Cal State Fullerton (19) as the only mid-major programs in the preseason poll.
 
Follow The Owls On Social Media
* To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State baseball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
* Use KSU baseball's official hashtags GoKSUOwls and NoDoubt to follow all the action as the Owls look to defend their 2014 A-Sun Championship.
* Want to see more behind the scenes stuff with the baseball team? Tweet at use with your ideas for the upcoming season!

Tweets by @KSUOwlsBaseball

Season tickets are currently on sale for the full 29-game home schedule at $39 per ticket. Single-game tickets are also available at $6 for adults and $4 for youth (ages 3-12). Group tickets for 10 or more people are available for advanced purchase, excluding the Georgia (Feb. 17), Georgia Tech (Mar. 17) and Georgia Southern (Mar. 24) games when individual tickets will be $10 for adults and $6 for youth. To order season tickets click here, or contact the KSU Athletic Ticket Office at 470-578-OWLS (6957).

To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State baseball news follow the team on Twitter@KSUOwlNation and@KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.